Young researchers without fear that artificial intelligence will replace them

Young researchers are open and positive about the new possibilities offered by the use of artificial intelligence (AI), although they do not trust it and therefore check the content - according to research by the international group of scientists "Harbingers".

Researchers from more than a dozen countries gathered around the "Harbingers" (Harbingers of Change) initiative are examining the impact of artificial intelligence on the work of scientists at an early stage of their careers. For ten years, scientists from the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Spain, Portugal, Russia, China, Malaysia, and Poland have been trying to detect signals of change in science communication, attitudes, and behaviors related to searching, selecting, developing, evaluating, and disseminating scientific information through interviews with young scientists.

Young researchers emphasize that although they use AI, they do not rely on it 100%. They have no fear that artificial intelligence will replace them.

As Prof. Dr. hab. Marzena Świgoń from the University of Warmia and Mazury (UWM) in Olsztyn, author of the "Harbingers" study in Poland, told Science in Poland, young researchers pointed to the need for expert verification of AI-generated content and the advantages of face-to-face contact in research and teaching.

The study shows that young Polish scientists use GenAI tools for spell checking, translation, and translation verification, primarily from Polish to English (and vice versa), but also into other languages. They use AI to create presentations, analyze and summarize information, and search for publications online and in international databases.

Prof. Świgoń found a significant difference in the experiences of using AI, and more specifically the GPT chat, by Polish humanists, theologians, and scientist-artists between two rounds of longitudinal interviews conducted as part of the National Science Centre grant – in early 2023 and early 2024.

She explained that these differences stemmed from the fact that the first conversation took place approximately four months after OpenAI launched the GPT chat in November 2022. "My interviewees were just getting to know the topic; some were more interested, others barely at all," the researcher explained. However, a year later, the situation changed dramatically, as by spring 2024, all respondents had some experience with the GPT chat.

The experiences of young scientists show that it takes them a lot of time to check AI-generated content, but they believe it is necessary.

Research on the impact of AI on the work of young researchers is the fourth project of Harbingers scientists (Harbingers of Change) gathered around the CIBER Research center in the UK and Prof. David Nicholas.

Previously, Harbingers researchers asked respondents about the impact of social media, websites for scientists and open science on scientific communication and the careers of young researchers, as well as about the impact of the pandemic.

Science in Poland

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